Air travel slashed in half during 3-day sale

WASHINGTON – Those not thinking about travel because of expensive airfares might want to reconsider.

For travel after Aug. 13, Southwest and AirTran are slashing prices for flights within a 500-mile radius to $49 each way, says Tom Parsons, CEO and founder of Bestfares.com.

“It gives you plenty of time for the kids to get back for school, so it still involves that family travel,” Parsons says.

“That means you could be flying to cities like Charleston, South Carolina, Boston, Albany, New York [City] or Buffalo or Rochester or Charlotte … or places like that for $100.”

Right now, fares to destinations up to 1,300 miles away are around $400 from Washington, D.C., Parsons says. But starting late Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday, those flights will be reduced to $99 each way as part of this three-day sale.

“That’s a half-price sale,” Parsons says. “The good news, too, unlike the airfare sales we’ve been seeing from Southwest lately, Tuesdays and Wednesdays only for the cheapest stuff, this one allows you to fly five days a week. The only two days you don’t want to fly are Fridays and Sundays because those prices will go sky-high.”

Parsons says the sale is a great opportunity for late summer travel, as well as for a short fall getaway.

“If you were thinking July, I can give you hundreds of reasons why you should think Aug. 13.”

The sale applies to travel from between Aug. 13 and Nov. 13 with four blackout dates. The best time to take advantage of the deals are late Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday because other airlines may try to match, Parsons says.